Google Translate Disclaimer

This link to the Google Translate web application is provided for the convenience of our website visitors and is for informational purposes only.

The California Energy Commission does not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of any translation produced by the Google Translate automated web application and is not liable for any inaccurate information resulting from the use of the Google Translate.

The California Energy Commission does not endorse the use of Google Translate; other translation services may be available to translate the information on our site. Please refer to the Energy Commission's website Conditions of Use.

CALIFORNIA CLEAN ENERGY TOURSANTA RITA JAIL

The smart grid system of the Santa Rita Jail integrates all of its on-site generation and advanced energy storage systems. It can power 100 percent of the jail’s electrical needs during daylight hours.

The Santa Rita Jail in Alameda County was the first in the country to build its own smart grid. The jail can operate as an “island” separate from the main electric grid to save money by generating its own ultra-clean and renewable electricity when power rates are highest. The jail is the third-largest facility of its kind in California and the fifth-largest in the nation.

Several energy efficiency and renewable energy projects have been implemented since 2002, including solar photovoltaic panels and wind turbines, a fuel cell cogeneration plant, an advanced energy storage system, and a 3,600 million British thermal units (BTU) solar hot water system.

Project funders include the California Energy Commission’s Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) program, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the California Public Utilities Commission. The project has also benefited from partnerships between public and private entities, including Alameda County’s General Services Agency, Chevron Energy Solutions, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, the California Independent System Operator, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and the University of Wisconsin.